Philanthropy

LivWell Cares

LivWell Enlightened Health joins the voices condemning the deplorable conduct that led to George Floyd’s death. We also join in peaceful protest and demand the dismantling of the structural racism that has shielded the all too common wrongful acts of violence committed against people of color. We share the world’s outrage and recognize that LivWell must actively be part of the solution. We continue our efforts to diversify an industry that was built on the sound policy of legalization that is the only way to fully defeat the failed War on Drugs, a “War” that disproportionately impacted communities of color. This is why we have supported legislation in the Colorado Capitol that rolled back barriers to licensing and continue to work on efforts to provide an accessible path to expunging marijuana convictions.

We stand with the men, women, and children who are bringing the nation’s grief and anger to the streets, working to change the world through their non-violent protests. LivWell is listening. We are listening and are committed to taking what we hear to continue the work of LivWell Cares to do our part to build a more equitable society.

We grieve with you, and we appreciate your feedback and we will always strive to be better.

Giving back to the community is part of our company’s DNA. That’s why we founded LivWell Cares, our philanthropic arm. LivWell Cares works hand-in-hand with the communities where we operate both as good neighbors and as fully-involved partners in community development.

Focused on Local Communities

Whether it’s neighborhood clean-up activities, charitable drives, participating in community events, or just being there to support our friends in need, we are committed to helping however we can.

So far, LivWell Cares has made more than $2.5 Million in donations (both cash and in-kind). Below is just a sampling of LivWell Cares charitable donations and involvement.

Cannabis and music go hand in hand, so it was only fitting that we join Illegal Pete’s in support of their Starving Artists program. This is a special benefit for touring out-of-town musicians, who so often struggle to make ends meet on the road. We give each band member a discount on cannabis, and Illegal Pete’s gives them free food! Customers benefit, too: from spontaneous acoustic sets to Eat and Greets, LivWell and Illegal Pete’s customers can get up close with their favorite bands.

We consistently advocate for the expungement of all non-violent marijuana crimes in Colorado and nationally, dedicating major resources to lobbying and outreach to Colorado's District Attorneys and Attorney General Weiser.

Our legal team led the charge to remove structurally racist licensing requirements from both Colorado and Michigan MJ licensing laws.

In October 2019, The Town of Garden City commissioned a statue to honor members of the Military, Veterans, and First Responders who have lost the fight with or are currently battling Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). LivWell was proud to donate $10,000 to this worthy endeavor.

In November 2019, LivWell Enlightened Health, announced a $10,000 charitable contribution to the Food Bank for Larimer County to advance their mission to provide food to all in need through community partnerships and hunger-relief programs. This donation aligns with LivWell’s community goals of aiding those in need and making a positive impact in the communities that we serve.

In September 2019, LivWell was a proud supporter of Pueblo’s Annual Rise Above Suicide Awareness Benefit. Proceeds raised were donated to the Friendly Harbor Community Center, a hub for mental wellness in Pueblo, Colorado. We currently operate two stores in Pueblo.

In July 2018 LivWell volunteers participated in an event to support Montbello's largest community garden! The volunteer event was organized by the Marijuana Industry Group and Montbello Organizing Committee/FreshLo Initiative, who took the first steps in their ongoing partnership to address healthy lifestyle, fresh food initiatives, and food deserts in Montbello. The industry group delivered over 7,000 lbs of soil to Montbello’s largest activated community garden, in support of the FreshLo Initative. The Marijuana Industry Group and Permagreen Organics Company collaborated to provide the organic soil for the eight community gardens, with plans to unload another 30,000 lbs of soil within the next month.

The Colorado Village Collaborative - a community organization founded by members of Denver Homeless Out Loud, The Interfaith Alliance of Colorado, Beloved Community Mennonite Church, and residents of the Beloved Community Village – recently launched Denver’s first “tiny home village” as an alternative solution to the problem of homelessness. Designed to help address the twin crises of homelessness and an extreme housing shortage, Beloved Community Village includes eleven 8-foot by 12-foot shelters, as well as a communal kitchen, bathroom, and shower facilities, on land leased from the Urban Land Conservancy at 38th and Walnut streets. LivWell Cares formally provided a $10,000 donation to the Beloved Community Village.

LivWell approached Adams County in Colorado to inquire how much, if any, information they had regarding the marijuana industry as it relates to laws and operations. After determining there was a need for such training, LivWell tailored a training program for the Communications Center in Adams County as it relates to their duties as the first entity citizens contact for police, fire, and rescue operations. Over the course of two weeks LivWell provided a four-hour training to 50 employees covering security, compliance, safety, and the science of the endocannabinoid system. Based on the success of this training, LivWell has begun discussions to train first responders in other counties.

In honor of Memorial Day 2016 LivWell Enlightened Health made history by offering Colorado veterans full bud ounces of high cannabidiol (CBD) flower for just 1 penny. Over 8,000 individual ounces were sold for the nominal price of one penny, resulting in one of the largest cannabis promotions in history with more than $800,000 worth of cannabis provided to veterans across Colorado.

“We provided ounces of cannabis that have a particularly high CBD concentration, which has demonstrated potential benefits for those who suffer from PTSD and other physical ailments,” said John Lord, CEO of LivWell. “This is just our way of showing appreciation to all of our men and women in uniform.”

The Fitch Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping veterans achieve active lifestyles by providing adaptive athletic programs and events. On April 20th, 2016, LivWell chose to celebrate our industry’s 420 holiday by donating $1 for every customer who shopped with us on 4/20 to the Foundation, resulting in a $5,000 donation. LivWell also partnered with the Fitch Foundation to sponsor the Colfax Marathon in 2016, during which the Fitch Foundation won the award for Best Charity Tent.

LivWell Enlightened Health was a proud sponsor of the 2015 AIDS Walk, organized by the Colorado Health Network. The Rocky Mountain region’s oldest one-day HIV and AIDS fundraiser, AIDS Walk was held at Cheesman Park in Capitol Hill complete with entertainment, food, and beverages for the approximately 8,000 people in attendance. Along with sponsoring, LivWell fielded a team of dedicated employees so that we could do our part to support this great cause.

LivWell Enlightened Health has sponsored the Denver PrideFest and Colorado Springs PrideFest for the past few years, and we are proud to be involved in these events which recognize the LGBTQ+ members of our communities and celebrate their rich history. With more than 350,000 people from across Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region in attendance at the Denver PrideFest, alone, these events have become one of the most popular festivals in the region.

Founded to provide support, resources, education and access to cannabis for parents of kids living with illness or disability, the CannAbility Foundation is a terrific organization that LivWell Enlightened Health proudly supports. As true believers in the healing power of cannabis, LivWell strongly supports efforts to help improve education and access to cannabis for patients across the country.

LivWell Enlightened Health locations across the state collected more than 700 hygiene products, items of clothing, food, and other necessities from employees and customers in partnership with Denver Relief Consulting. These items were donated to the Denver Rescue Mission, Jewish Family Services, Bayaud Enterprises, and the Harm Reduction Action Center to benefit those in need in the winter season.

LivWell Cares fielded a team of volunteers to help complete home and neighborhood improvement projects in the Swansea neighborhood. These projects include graffiti removal, landscaping, painting, yard work, or other projects identified by the residents.

District 7

In May, 2018 LivWell employees volunteered at the annual District 7 neighborhood cleanup in Denver. Our staff helped the community pick up trash, clear debris, and beautify the neighborhood alongside community members and Councilman Jolon Clark.

Pike's Peak Suicide Prevention offers a range of services to youth and adults as well as training groups on suicide prevention. LivWell Cares contributed a matching grant to Pike's Peak Suicide Prevention as part of the annual Give! campaign organized by the Colorado Independent.

LivWell is proud to support and promote Lyft's 320 Movement, a program in conjunction with the Colorado Department of Transportation and the Colorado State Patrol designed to ensure cannabis consumers arrange for sober transportation during the 4/20 holiday and whenever they consume cannabis.

The Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation (INC) organization advocates for Denver citizens by bringing together, informing, and empowering Denver registered neighborhood organizations to actively engage in addressing city issues. LivWell was proud to sponsor INC's annual awards dinner as they celebrated a successful year of community support and advocacy.

In preparation for the 2016 elections, LivWell partnered with New Era Colorado to register voters at our dispensary locations in Denver so that they could make their voices heard in the electoral process. New Era Colorado is the leading voice for young people in politics around the state.

Relay for Life is the signature fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. LivWell was proud to sponsor the Relay for Life in Los Animas County and support the incredible work done by American Cancer Society and their local chapters.

In 2017 LivWell proudly supported Trinidad Autism Awareness's largest event ever to provide parents, educators, business owners, and community members with information on Autism and bring more resources and professionals to help provide services to families and loved ones with Autism.